Second wave of shoppers hit Friday morning

By Black Friday standards, it was a calm, orderly night on the Peninsula.

Shoppers were out in droves, including Tony and Jeff Martin, who had been camping in tents at the Best Buy store in Newport News since Tuesday. By 8 or 9 a.m. Friday, the late-night shoppers were calling it a day and a second, smaller crowd was hitting malls and stores.

The Martins, along with three other family members, were in line to score a list that included four high-definition televisions, a PlayStation 3 gaming console, an iPod Touch and some video games.

"This is my eighth or ninth year," Tony said. "I think we were fifth in line last year. You have to keep those TVs upgraded."

Checkout lines were long at stores like Target and Walmart, but most shoppers wore smiles and had good humor about the experience.

"I like to get all of the gifts that I have to have by Black Friday," said Christina Vega, of Newport News. She and her friend Candi Schwartz headed to Target at 2 p.m. Thursday to score the second spot in a line that was wrapped around the building by 8 p.m. "That way, anything else I get is just extra."

Schwartz said her family moved their Thanksgiving dinner to an earlier time this year to accommodate the store openings.

"We ate right at noon," she said. "My kids got up at 10 a.m. and had their breakfast, lunch and dinner right away. I left the desserts packaged so my husband could hand it out and put it all away."

The earlier store openings, Walmart and Toys "R" Us began doorbusters at 8 p.m. Thursday, while Target opened at 9 p.m., were not well-received by Vega.

"My mom is (mad)," she said. "It's ridiculous that we have to get out here on Thanksgiving Day to get these prices."

But Laura Swank, who scored the first spot in line at Target, was happier for the earlier bed time she would get this year.

And, within an hour of the store's opening, Swank had found success.

"I got everything I wanted," she said.

The Walmart in Newport News was bursting with shoppers at 10 p.m. Thursday, and nearly every shopping cart in a checkout line held a 40-inch television. Movies were another popular shopper destination, while grocery aisles stood empty.

Earlier in the evening, whispers about a possible shooting at the Newport News Walmart was being passed around by shoppers, though that turned out to be unfounded, according to police. In fact, police say all was quiet for them Thursday night and early Friday morning, when the bulk of the crowds were shopping. Traffic on Interstates was light, as well.

At hhgregg in Newport News, Chantel Diotte and her husband, Nick, were first in line for a less common Black Friday item. The couple ate their Thanksgiving dinner early at Golden Corral and secured the first spot in line to get a sofa sectional.

"We came here last year for a refrigerator and a TV," Nick said. "We're pretty much getting stuff for our house, one year at a time."

Around 10 a.m. Friday, Kristy Smith of Gloucester waited for her nine-coworkers near the Patrick Henry Mall food court. Her red shopping cart was stacked with multiple bags from Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works.

Over the years, Smith and her friends have developed a system for their annual Black Friday shopping expedition. By waiting until around 8 a.m., Smith says they don't have to deal with excessive lines but many stores' doorbuster deals are still in effect.

Smith says her friends begin preparing for Black Friday weeks ahead, saving coupons and developing a "strategic plan of attack" for the day. Every year, they hit stores in a precise order beginning with the mall stores at 8 a.m., then moving to Target, Toys "R" Us and Kmart in progressive order.

"We put in our eight hours shopping," Smith said. "We do the same thing every year and we look forward to it every year."

Middlesex County resident Rondre Tompkins did an all-nighter Thursday. After eating Thanksgiving dinner, he hit Walmart and Kmart at 8 p.m. Thursday, then moved on to the malls. At 10 a.m., Tompkins, toting several bags and a receipt showing $355 in savings from on Patrck Henry store, was still prowling for bargains.

"It's been a long, exhausing night and I wish I had a bed right now … but it's worth it," Tompkins said. "We haven't even stopped for food yet today."

"I've gotten two pairs of slacks, a top and a blazer for $50 this morning. This is for me," said Amber Lee, a Radford University student. "There's still plenty of time to shop for Christmas."

Tiana Barnes, who worked the overnight shift at Old Navy before doing some of her own shopping, said the line stretched around the outside of the mall before her shift began at midnight Friday.

"We had customers who had waited in line for three or four hours yesterday," Barnes said. She estimated that she waited on more than 100 customers during her eight-hour shift, significantly more than usual.

"But I like it," Barnes said. "It helps the day go by faster when you are busy."